Refrigerator.



PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906.

J. W. MACDONALD.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR-27,1905.

(Hair-ran sirafrns PATENT, Carrion Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1906.

Application filed April 27. 1905. Serial No. 257.745.

and useful Im rovements in Refrigerators,

of which the i lowing is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical, andhighly-eflicient device for preserving articles by means of a body-orrunning stream of cold or cool water; and the invention consists incertain peculiaritiesin the construction and arrangement of parts and incertain novel combinations of elements, substantially as hereinafterdescribed, and particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

In carrying the invention into practice the cooling-chamber of thedevice is immersed in a body of water which, when practicable, is

obtained from a source of supp y under pressure and is of naturaltemperature. This water is caused to circulate around thecooling-chamber in a water-space formed by mounting said cooling-chambcrin a box or water-receptacle of sufiiciently greater size than thecooling-chamber as to leave said space between them. Thiscoolir1gcha2nber and box or receptacle form the cooling portion of theapparatus, the former containing the articles to be preserved and thelatter the water which modifies the temperature to a preservativedegree. Extending through said water-space and immersed in the watertherein are a serian of air-passages, the innerends of which into theinterior of said cooling-chamber while their outer ends open outside theouter surface or wall of the waterspace. Means are provided by whichsaid air-passages have communication with the outer air, whereby the airin the apparatus may be chan ed. Thus the contents of the coolin -chamer may be economically pre served and by proper attention to theair-suply none of the articles in said chamber Wlll be contaminated bythe presence of the others." The air in said cooling-chamber may bechanged with the fre ucncy necessary to prevent the tainting o sucharticles as milk and butter, for example, which are very liable toabsorbthe odors of meats, &c., without increasing to a dangerous extent thetemperature of the cooling-chamber, for the reason that the air in itsassagc to the interior of said cooling-chain )cr is cooled bythe body oiwater 111 the water-space. .More

' degree.

. over, the walls of the cooling-chamber and water-receptacle and theair tubes or passages are all made of sheet metal of as li ht weight aspracticable, so that said walls and tubes will receive to a maximumdegree the temperature which the body of water is capable'otimpartingand will similarly in a maximum degree communicate said temperature tothe air in contact therewith. Again, the outer wall of thewater-receptacle is encircled by an air space or chamber into which theouter ends of said tubes open, and it is through this airspace orchamber in 'the preferred embodiment of the invention that the severaltubes have communication with the outer air, which'communication is madecontrollable by valved means. Thus the air is cooled first in the outerair-chamber by the temperature of the Walls of the same, and finally int is coolingchamber by the walls of the latter, each of which walls arein direct contact with the cool liquid. Furthermore, it is practicableby the use of the air-tubes shown in the accompanying drawings todispense with other means for supporting the coolingchamber within saidwater-receptacle and from'the' walls of the latter.

Although a rctri erator embracing the foregoing features of constructionwill utilize to a maximum degree the cooling pro .erties of a body orrunning stream of water 0 natural temperature conditions may be presentto meet which it may prove to be necessary or desirable to reduce byartificial means the temperature of the body of Water within the waterreceptacle or space. Therefore the wall of the water-receptacle, whichis continued above thecoohng-chamber so as to form, with the top of thelatter, a water-space above said chamber, also forms with said top achamber, or space of sufiicient dimensions to receive enough ice tolower the temperature of the water in the water-space to the desired Tosupport the ice in said chamber or space free from contact with thewalls thereof, which it would be liable to ru ture, a

grating of basket-like form is provide ,Which grating will be sus endedwithin said chamer or space and W1 1 not impede the access of the waterfrom said space a ove the top side of the cooling-chamber to the s acearound the other sides of the same and rom the latter to the formerspaces. It will be understood that when ice is used itwill beundesirable to employ a stream of water continuously flowing from asource of supply into and fromthe water-space of the refrigerator, andfor said reason if said water-space is connected with a source ofwater-supply under 'pressure'the connection should be such that if iceis to be used at any time the supply of water can be cut off when ice isused except to replace that which hasbeen drawn off for drinkingor otherurposes. It will also be understood that W en ice is used it will itselftend to create a' circulation of water within the water-space, "the coolwater descending and rgplacing the warmer, which is thereby cause torise and be lowered in temperature when it, descends, and so on. Whenfor any reason temporary or otherwise it is not practicable to utilize arunning stream of cold water as the cooling medium, a very smallquantity of ice will act on the body of water within the water-space toreduce the temperature thereof sufliciently to maintain a preservativetemperature within the cooling-chamber.

The ice-retaining basket or grating may be readily lifted out of therefrigerator when its use is not desired.

The water-receptacle and the cooling-chain.- her in the formhereinbefore described form a single self-contained structure, which inprac tice is mounted in an outer casing so constructed as to insulatethe same from the influences of the outside temperature and is suspendedwithin said casing by flanges which are formed at the upper edge ofthewatcr-receptacle and rest upon heads at the upper end of the outercasing, whereby said water-receptacle and cooling-chamber may be liftedfrom said outer casing when it is desired to clean or repair them.

Having thus in a general way set forth the invention and several of itsimportant structural features, I will next proceed to describe more indetail the best means for carrying the invention into practice,promising, however, with the statement that changes in the details riiaybe made without departing from the spirit of the invention. I

In the accompanying drawings, illustrat ing the invention, and in whihlike letters and numerals of reference designate like parts throughoutthe several views, Fi e 1 a perspectlve view of a refrigerator em od ingmy improvements with the .front of t e casing partly broken away andthetop of said casing part1 in section to show the in-, ternai'parts of t erefrigerator. Fig. 2 is adetail viewof the cooling portion of theapparatus, partly broken away to show some of as the air assages ortubes. Fig. 3 is a section on the e 3 3 of Fig. 2-. Fig. 4 is a view ofthe metal ice-sup orting grat A designates t e outer ingifiating-casing,which is preferably formed of wood and comof a series of sheet-meta "ingportion of the apparatus is suspended -flow into the space 6 it willcirculate around prises the outer wall 1 and inne r wall 2,

I spaced apart to leave an intermediate charm ber packed withmineral'wool or other suitable insulating material. This casing hasadoor (not shown) for access to the coolingchamber and a lid or door'for access to the ice chamberor grating, which doors, forming no art'ofthe invention, need not be furj ther re erred to.

.C designates the cooling portion ofthe re frigerator and comprises theinner casing or. cooling-chamber 3 and the outer box or wator-receptacle4, both of which are formed of suitable slieet metal. They are of suchsizes that when placed one within the other awater-space 5 will be leftbetween the sides and bottom parts,thereof and an open space or I I Ichamber 6 will be formed above the cooling; chamber. The smallercasing-'i. e., thecooling-chamber 3is held in position by means tubes ,7passing through the-sheet metal formingthe sides of said cooling-chamberand waterereceptacle and ex ended in.place to form rigid oints. Thew,ole is then dipped in melted tin pr galvanizing material to make allseams and joints water-tight and prevent rusting. The top of the box orwateraeceptagle 4 is worked out to form the flanges 8, by which saidcoolwithmthe casing A upon the beads 9, and is provided withbpenings 10and 11 to receive valved water su ply and outlet ipes 10 and 11*. Thewoo casing A shou d be of'such interior size as to dpermit the box orreceptacle 4 to be place inside of it and leave beoo tween the outsidewall of said box and the inside wall of the outer casing'an air-chamber12, into which the tubes 7 open. This chamber 12 has communication withthe air outside the casing through one or more valvecontrolledair-passages 12. In the form herein shown airis admitted to the chamber12 from outside the refrigeratorby means of a single pipe 12, and thesupply of said air is regulated by a shutter placed upon the outer endof said pipe. The water-outlet pipe 11 is passed through said casing- .Aand screwed into the o 'ening 11 near the bottom of the box i, an saidpipe is provided with an upward extension or overflow-pipe 14, whichprojects to the level it is desired to maintain in the water-space,,andis further provided with a spigot 14, which may be opencd'to withdrawwater from said s ace. It will be seen that it due water be flowedthrough the opening 10 it will pass down into the space .5 and rise upin the space .6 until it reaches the height of the outlet of theoverflow-pipe 14, and as the water continues to the chamber 3 on itscourse to said'outl'et and will. cool said chamber. Fresh air will flowfrom the pipe'12 in o the chamber 12 and will be cooled by contact withthe cold surface of thgsides of the-box4- and flowing 13o A fill thespace 6. becomes cold it will gravitate toward the botcontact with thewalls of the same in its pas-f sage to said chamber 3.

When ice is to be used, the metal grating 15 'of basket-like form isdropped into the open space 6 to support said ice, and water is thensupplied to fill the space and to nearly As the water in the space 6 tomof the space 5 and act to cool the air flowing intofthe cooling ch'amber 3 in the me manner as when a stream of cold water ws around saidchamber. is to be renewed as much water may be drawn off through thespigot or cook 14 as the ice will displace. Said grating 15 is removablysupported in place in the space 6 by;

means of its flanges 16, which rest upon'a suitable support providedfor. The several walls in the cooling portion of the refrigerator arepreferablyflat in order to afford a maximum amount of cooling-surfaceforthe space occupiedand to permit the use of lain sheets of metalwithout the expense of s aping the same.

From the above it will be seen that I have provided a refrigeratingmeans of simple and inexpensive construction which is thoroughlysanitary and effectively preserves perishable articles placed in thecooling-chamber at little or no expense for ice.

Having thus described the inv ention, What I believe to be new, anddesire tosecure by Letters Patent, and what I therefore claim, 1s-

1. Arefrigerating means com rising a series of walls relatively arrangeto form an inner cooling-chamber, e water-space aroun When the icesupply said cooling-chamber and an air-chamber around said water-space,tubes extending ace and opening into sai cooling-chambe and air-chamber,and means through which shid air-chamber has cominunicaticn with theouter ail.

2.- In a refrigerating means, a casing, a receptacle, flanges dn saidreceptacle, said receptacle and spaced therefrom by said flanges therebyforming an air-space, an inner receptacle spaced from the first-namedreceptacle forminga water-space, means establishing communicationbetween the said air-space and interiorof said inner receptacle, and anicerece tacle supported from said flanges and over ying said innerreceptacle and water chamber.

3; In a refrigerating means,', an outer receptacle, an inner rece tacie,and an inter mediate receptacle, sai inner receptacle being open at itsfront face and rigidly connected. to the intermediate receptacle toforn1- a unitary member, said receptacles forming a central air-chamber,an outer airchamber, and an intermediate water-chamber, means by whichair is introduced into said outer air-chamber, and air-conduitsextending from said outer air-chamber through the water-chamber and intothe central airchamber.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two subscribingwitnesses;

Emms'r W. BEAcH, A. W. Sonmnme.

being arranged within said caslng.

